Hungary alleges plot to blow up gas pipeline ahead of election

Hungary Claims Ukrainian Plot to Target Gas Pipeline as Election Looms

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has summoned the National Defence Council following the discovery of explosives near a critical Russian gas pipeline in the border region of Serbia. The incident, which occurred just days before a pivotal election, has sparked speculation about a coordinated effort to undermine his political standing. Opposition leader Peter Magyar criticized Orban, suggesting his actions were driven by “panic-mongering” with the backing of “Russian advisers.” This comes after security experts warned of a potential “false flag” operation that could be attributed to Ukraine.

Orban, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has consistently opposed EU efforts to reduce reliance on Russian energy since the war in Ukraine began. Hungarian analysts have recently speculated about a manufactured incident, possibly staged on Hungarian or Serbian soil, aimed at rallying public support for Orban’s Fidesz party or justifying an emergency declaration to delay the vote. Serbian President Alexander Vucic, also a key ally of Orban, informed him of the find on Sunday, highlighting the strategic proximity to the TurkStream pipeline’s entry into Hungary.

“Our units found an explosive of devastating power,” Vucic stated in an Instagram post. “I told PM Orban that we would keep him updated on the investigation.”

The explosives, comprising two rucksacks filled with detonators, were unearthed near the village of Tresnjevac in the Kanjiza district—approximately 20km from the TurkStream pipeline’s Hungarian crossing point. Hungary receives between five and eight billion cubic metres of Russian gas annually through this vital infrastructure, which both Hungary and Slovakia depend on for energy supply.

Key figures within Orban’s circle, including Balint Pasztor of the Vojvodina Hungarian Association, have argued that the attack was intended to strike at Hungary’s supply lines. “If the investigation proves we were not the primary target, but rather Hungary’s energy infrastructure, this makes it even clearer: the terrorist attack was planned to topple Viktor Orban,” Pasztor wrote. Fidesz has leveraged anti-Ukraine rhetoric in its campaign, with Orban claiming that low energy costs in Hungary are only possible due to Russian imports.

Orban accuses a “Kyiv-Brussels-Berlin” alliance of conspiring to cut Hungary off from cheap Russian fuel, aiming to install his political rival as a “puppet” leader. He has also blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for an “oil blockade” on the Druzhba pipeline, which traverses Ukrainian territory. Ukraine maintains the pipeline was damaged in a Russian strike and anticipates restoration by mid-April. No formal allegations of Ukrainian involvement have been made yet.

According to a well-informed Serbian source, the first findings of the investigation may be revealed as early as Monday. Hungarian security expert Andras Racz had previously warned on Facebook that a “fake attack” on TurkStream could be staged in Serbia, with the explosives likely linked to Ukraine. “We had solid preliminary information about this operation, including details on location and timing,” said former counter-intelligence officer Peter Buda. “Ukraine’s interests aren’t at stake here. This operation would boost Orban’s narrative before the election.”

The Hungarian government insists the threat is genuine, with Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto asserting on Facebook: “In the past few days and weeks, we’ve seen it all. The Ukrainians organised an oil blockade against us. Then they tried to impose a total energy blockade by firing dozens of drones at the TurkStream pipeline while it was still on Russian territory. And now we have today’s incident, in which Serbian colleagues found explosives capable of blowing up the pipeline.”

Magyar has accused Orban and Vucic of orchestrating the latest event. “He will not be able to win the election without this kind of manufactured crisis,” Magyar said, implying the plot was designed to secure political advantage. The timing of the discovery has raised questions about its connection to the electoral race, with experts divided on whether it was an opportunistic move or a genuine security threat.